The employe began work for the employer or a predecessor in 1983 or 1984. The employer is
a supplemental staffing agency. The employe worked as a registered nurse. The employer
normally contacted the employe by telephone when it had work for her. The plaintiff's last
day of work for the employer was at the end of December 1996.

The employe's telephone answering machine began not working in the end of December 1996.
When the employe discovered this in January 1997 she turned the machine off. The machine
did not work until around the third or fourth week of January 1997. The employer offered
the employe assignments during January 1997. It left messages on her answering machine.
She did not respond to the messages.

The commission found that the plaintiff failed, without good cause, to accept two offers
of suitable work which were made in week 4 of 1997 and concluded that she was not eligible
for unemployment benefits beginning in that week.

Held: The commission's findings of fact are supported by credible and substantial
evidence. Because of the commission's extensive experience, technical competence and
specialized knowledge in interpreting this statute, its conclusions of law are entitled to
great weight. The evidence here supports the commission's finding that the plaintiff
received the employers offers of work in week 4 of 1997.

The plaintiff contended that she had good cause for failing to accept the offers because
she had limited experience in the areas in which the work was offered. However, the
evidence in the record does not indicate that any patients would not have received the
level of care they were entitled to. She had 15 years of experience. She had accepted
assignments in these areas in the past and there were no complaints about her performance.
The work offered was at the same grade of skill and similar rate of pay as she had
accepted in the past. Commission's decision affirmed. Benefits denied.

Please note that this is a summary prepared by staff of the commission, not a
verbatim reproduction of the court decision.